This saffron cauliflower on buckwheat flatbread features warm roasted cauliflower on cooling raita (savory yogurt), along with pickled onions, pickled carrots, and olives. It has that cozy saffron flavor and refreshing, tangy flavors from the raita and pickled veggies. 10/10 would recommend for literally any mood you’re in.
Here’s a combo I was incredibly excited to make and excited to share! Inspiration has been really on and off for me lately, so when it comes, I definitely take advantage of it. The inspiration for this dish came from a saffron cauliflower recipe I came across in one of Yottam Ottolenghi’s earlier books: Plenty! I made a slightly different version here. It consists of cauliflower, onions, and garlic tossed with saffron and roasted in the oven in a cast-iron.
The other components of this include a zingy raita made with coconut yogurt and a few spices, pickled onions and carrots, the instant (no-yeast) buckwheat flatbreads, and olives. The steps for each are pretty minimal and it makes for great meal prep.
Saffron Cauliflower on Buckwheat Flatbread
Ingredients
Saffron Cauliflower
- 1 medium cauliflower
- ½ red onion, sliced
- 15 saffron strands infused in 3 tbsp boiling water
- 3 garlic cloves (whole)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 bay leaves
- cilantro
Raita
- ½ cup coconut yogurt or another yogurt of choice
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp red chili powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tbsp olive oil optional
Pickled Carrots and Onions
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ carrot, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp coriander seeds
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp red chili flakes
- ⅔ cup water
- ⅔ cup white vinegar
- 1 tsp maple syrup
Buckwheat Flatbread
- ¾ cup buckwheat flour
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour sub spelt flour to make it whole grain
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp baking powder
- pinch of black pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅓ cup plant-based yogurt
Instructions
Saffron Cauliflower
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Soak the saffron strands in 3 tbsp boiling water. Add the rest of the ingredients (except for cilantro) to a cast-iron pan or another oven-safe baking dish. Toss it all together before pouring the saffron and the saffron-infused water.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes. When it's done, mix in some cilantro.
Raita
- Optional step: heat olive oil in a pan and toast ground cumin in it for a minute before pouring it into the raita.
- Mix together all the ingredients in a bowl.
Pickled Carrots and Onions
- Bring ⅔ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan. Once the water is boiling, add coriander seeds, red chili flakes, salt, vinegar, and maple syrup. Take it off the heat and pour over onions and carrots. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes. Store in the refrigerator.
Buckwheat Flatbread
- Add buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper to a bowl. Mix before adding the yogurt. Add ¼ cup more all-purpose flour if it is too moist. Knead for about 3 minutes before adding olive oil and forming a ball of dough.
- Heat a cast-iron pan over medium heat. Make sure it is hot before making the flatbreads on it. Divide the dough into 5-6 pieces. Cook each one for 2 minutes per side.
Assemble
- Start with the warm flatbread. Spread raita on the flatbread and then add the cauliflower, pickled carrots and onions, olives, and cilantro. Either eat it like you would eat toast or fold it and eat it like you would eat a gyro.
If you like this flatbread combination, you’ll totally love…
Roasted Eggplant Sabich with Red Pepper Hummus
